Previews

Batman Begins

Batman's not known for his quality videogames, but EA's new movie based game may change all that.

Spiffy:

Captures the look of the film (at least the trailers); fun Batmobile sequences.

Iffy:

The combat system seems somewhat simplistic.

After the mess that was the Catwoman game, EA has a lot to prove with this Batman Begins, which is based on the upcoming movie of the same name. We've gotten a chance to play through two stages of the game, and if early indications are anything to go by, the company has learned its lesson from the Halle Berry debacle.

The first stage we played was a introductory level, meant to teach you Batman's moves. The demo began with some thugs hanging out in a building, but they're suddenly interrupted by a man being tossed through the ceiling. With his dying breath, the fallen man warns that Batman is coming. Seconds later, the Dark Knight himself leaps through the hole in the ceiling, and the action beings.

Tactical Espionage Batman

The combat in the game is easy to get the hang of. You have the standard punch and kick moves as well as a finishing move that can be pulled off when you see an onscreen prompt. The demo that I played didn't feature any of this, but the final game will also feature plenty of Batman's trademark crime fighting tools like the Batarang, Batgrapple, Optic Cables and Lock Picks. There will also be a heavy emphasis on stealth, allowing Batman to stalk criminals from the shadows and take them out without being detected.

Eventually, I encountered one of the film's main bad guys, the Scarecrow. He tossed a mysterious powder in Batman's face, causing the screen to blur and Batman's movements to slow. It was a pretty cool effect, but before anything else could happen, the demo ended.

I also got a chance to try out one of the Batmobile stages. Here's you're driving through the streets of Gotham, dodging civilian traffic and bashing criminals' cars. Fortunately, the bad guy's vehicles are indicated by large arrows, so it was easy to tell who to knock off the road. The Batmobile is equipped with a booster, which is perfect for slamming into cars. During this mode, there is a reputation meter on the screen. Just smash into crooks, and the meter goes up. Take out innocent cars, and the Batman becomes less popular around town. This stage is very arcade like and a nice break from the standard gameplay.